Page 20 of A Riviera Retreat
Juan-les-Pins was busy as usual, but Amy managed to squeeze into a parking space on the front. Sitting in the car, she took her mobile out of her bag and pressed the shortcut button for her mother, hoping it wouldn’t go straight to voicemail.
‘Darling! Everything all right?’ Fleur said.
‘Fine. You?’ Amy answered automatically. ‘I took everyone to Monaco recently. Guess who I saw?’
She sensed her mother’s sharp intake of breath rather than heard it. ‘How did you feel? I hope he didn’t make a scene?’
‘No, he was with someone – a woman – but he did say – like you’ve been saying for ages – I can’t run forever.’ Amy caught her breath.
Two small toddlers, looking like twins, were excitedly running towards the beach, as their young parents, clutching windbreaks, buckets and spades, as well as a large chill box, struggled to make their way along the esplanade. Amy felt the tears rising. Something she’d never have now – a family of her own.
She shook herself. Forced herself to concentrate.
‘I think you’ll probably receive another solicitor’s letter for me soon.’ Amy took a deep breath. ‘I’m going to make an appointment with a notaire and get the divorce underway – and keep it going this time.’
‘Good. It’s definitely more than time. Does he know you’re at Belle Vue? He won’t turn up there to harass you, will he?’
‘No, I said I was on holiday with friends,’ Amy explained. ‘And I think his lady friend will keep him occupied. Right, I’m off for a walk on the beach, followed by lunch and a glass of rosé in your favourite bar. Wish you could join me.’
‘Me too, but it’s not long to July now. Take care, darling.’
Walking along the wide promenade hoping the sea air would clear her head, Amy remembered her mother’s question about how she’d felt meeting up with Kevin unexpectedly. In truth, the shock at seeing him face to face for the first time since she’d left him had left her feeling nauseous and shaken. But once those feelings had disappeared, she’d been relieved to discover that she felt nothing for him. Not a single loving emotion remained in her body as she’d looked at him. Just a dull ache for all she’d lost.
The lunchtime rush had begun when she reached the bar-cum-restaurant and Amy was lucky to be shown to a table with a view out over the beach. She ordered a small glass of rosé to sip while waiting for her croque monsieur and side salad and sat there happily watching the place fill up with holidaymakers all keen to sample some typical French cuisine, bowls of mussels and frites piled high and steaming in most cases.
Her head definitely felt clearer after the sea air and she was able to think dispassionately about the past and more positively about whatever the future might hold for her. A little niggling worry was whether Kevin would, in fact, put two and two together and turn up at Belle Vue. Amy dismissed the thought as unlikely if he was staying in Monaco with a female companion. He probably didn’t remember the exact location anyway, it was so long ago, the one and only time she’d taken him there.
After lunch, Amy made her way back to the car, stopping en route to buy a large ice cream – a special treat for dessert. An hour later, she was driving home feeling much happier in herself and knowing she could handle whatever happened now with Kevin much better than would have been possible five years ago. The weight on her shoulders was beginning to lift.
Chelsea and Matilda were in the kitchen when Amy got back. Chelsea was thumping a piece of pizza dough into submission as Matilda looked on.
‘Hi, you two. Everything all right?’ Amy said.
Matilda nodded. ‘Yes. But it is a good thing you went out this morning. Your husband turned up.’
‘Kevin? He came here today?’ Amy’s stomach clenched as worry took hold of her again.
Chelsea slapped the dough down on the board again. ‘We told him you weren’t here and he wasn’t welcome.’
‘He kept asking questions,’ Matilda said. ‘How long you were staying here? Did you have a partner? Where was Tasha?’
‘Did you answer his questions?’
Both Matilda and Chelsea shook their heads.
‘No. We genuinely didn’t know the answers to his questions – and if we had, we wouldn’t have told him anyway. Pierre heard the car arrive and he… he encouraged him to leave quickly.’ Matilda smiled as she remembered how Pierre had quietly and firmly told the younger man to leave if he didn’t want to be hurt or for the gendarmes to be called. Despite the age difference, Matilda knew that Pierre was more than fit enough to deal with Kevin.
Amy sighed. ‘I’m sorry you had to deal with this, but I’m equally glad I took off this morning.’
‘If you want to talk to me while I’m here, sometimes it is easier to talk to a friend who does not know about the past,’ Matilda said, before adding quietly, ‘People always say you have to work at a relationship, but when things go wrong, there are some things that can never be righted or forgiven.’
Amy smiled at her gratefully. ‘Thank you. That is so true, but I’ve had time to come to terms with everything and forget the unforgivable lies I was told. It’s time to push it firmly into the past and move on.’
Matilda patted her gently on the arm. ‘I was in an abusive relationship many years ago from which William rescued me. Like I said, I’m happy to listen if it helps at all.’
11
Matilda wrote the postcard to Sheila sitting on the terrace outside her room. Knowing how much Sheila loved flowers, she’d chosen a photo of the old part of Cannes, Le Suquet, where window boxes were in abundance decorating the pastel coloured houses.
